Continuous wire-drawing machinery.



J. I. DOOLEY.

CONTINUOUS WIRE DRAWING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.27, I9I4- I. %27,53%D Patented May 22, 1917.

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J. P. DOOLEY.

CONTINUOUS W IRE DRAWING MACHINERY. APPLICATION FILED AUG.27, 1914.

llfiw w m Patent-ed May 22,191?

A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. O) l JAMES P. DUDLEY, GE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOJR, T WRIGHT WIRE GOMTANY, 91F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CONTINUOUS WIRE-DRAWING MAGHINERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May as, rai "1..

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, JAMES P. DooLnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Continuous Wire-Drawing Machinery, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of mm drawmg machlnery 1n which the wire to be drawn is reduced in diameter a, number of times by being successlvelypassed through a serles of dies in one continuous drawmg process.

In drawing wire by the contlnuous proc.

ess, it has been the practice heretofore to provide adjacent each reducing die of the.

0 series, and in position to draw the wire therethrough, a drawing or forwarding drum, the wire bein given a number of turns around each 0 said drums in order to insure of its being forwarded at a speed substantially equal to the peripheral speed of the drum. Each drum of the series is given a greater peripheral speed than the one next preceding, in order to allow for the elongation of the wire due to its reduc tion in diameter. It sometimes happens, owin to unusual resistances arising in the drawing operation, that the predetermined peripheral speed of one or more of the drums becomes eater than the speed at which the wire is traveling, which condition causes a relative slipping between the wire and drum, resulting in a roughening of the wire and a scoring of the drum. The same detrimental efi'ect is also apparent, when by reason of an unexpected decrease in one or more of the resistances to the drawing operation, the speed at which the wire is traveling exceeds the peripheral speed of the forwardingdrum.

Various attempts, all of them involving more or less complicated mechanisms, have been made, with the end in view of overcoming these difiiculties inherent in the operation of continuous wire drawmg machines. It has been proposed to regulate the speed of the drawing drums automatically by means of the tension of the wire that is being worked, and to this end change speed gearing has been employed In driving the drawing drums, and automatic tion 0 means, operated by an increase or a decrease 1n the tension of the wire, are utihzed to shift the gears and thereby impart to the drum or drums agreater or less speed, as the case may be. It hasalso been proposed to drive the drums by belts or cords, and to regulate the speed of said drums by varying the degree of tightness of said belts or cords 'on their respective pulleys. This regulation is also efiected automatically by the tension of the wire that is being worked.

Both of the instrumentalities above referred to involve complicated and expensive mechanism, and, furthermore, practice has demonstrated that each is only efiective within narrow limits. The positive changespeed tgearing by which the speed of rotaone or more drums is suddenly increased or decreased is certain to impart to the wire a more or less violent shock. The belt or cord driven drums of the other mechanism are ineflicient and wasteful of power, and are not positive in action. Neither mechanism provides any -n1eans for compensatin for any considerable resistance to the rawing operation, such as would arise either in the actual drawing of the wire, or in the feeding of the undrawn wire to the machine, and be of such degree as to cause the wire to break.

Nor does either mechanism provide any means whereby the machine may be stopped it there is a break in the wire, or if the resistance to the drawing operation rises above proportion to the elongation imparted to the wire by reason of its being drawn through the,reducing die disposed immediately in advance of such drum.

in such a machine, the undue increases and decreases in the resistance to the draw? ing operation, resulting in scoring of the drums, as above specified, must be compensated for; and it is the main object of this invention to provide, in combination with its roe such a machine, instrumentalities of such a character that the scoring of the drums 1 s practically eliminated. Such instrumentalities are embodied in the provision, first, of a mechanism adapted to stop the operation of the machine when an undue resistance arises in the unwinding of the undrawn w re from the supply reel; second, of a plurahty of compensating devices disposed alternately with respect to the successive drums of the series, and adapted to yield under tension and thereby reduce the tension of the wire; and third, a mechanism adapted to stop the operation of the machine when the wire from any cause breaks, or when the wire runs out, or passes freely through the last die of the series.

Further objects, all of them tendin to the production of a machine adapte to efiect the efficient and continuous drawmg of wire to very fine sizes, will appear from the following description, and will be ointed out in the annexed claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of the mechanism.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of a portion of the mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the left hand end of the machine.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the difierent figures.

The drawing machinery is carried in and by a suitably supported horizontally disposed tank or trough 1, the latter being filled with a solution of soap and water, in which the wire being drawn is completely submerged in the usual manner common to wet machines. The severaldrawing drums 2, contained within the tank, are disposed just beyond their respective dies 3, and the peripheral speed of each drum is proportioned to the predetermined elongation of the wire by its passage through the associated die. The drums are positively driven from a longitudinal shaft 4 by means of gearing 5 designed to produce the above described peripheral speeds. The shaft 4 is geared to a transverse shaft 6, carrying fast and loose pulleys 7 and 8 either of which may be connected with the source of power by a belt, as determined by the position of a belt fork 9, carried by a sliding bar 10. A pivoted arm 11 has a pin and slot connection with said bar, the other end of said arm being connected by a chain 12 or the like, with a slide 13 which is movable vertically in guideways 14. A spiral spring 15 is connected at its ends to intermediate points on chain 12, so that the chain hangs memes slack between the ends of said spring, as shown in Fig. 6. The slide 13 has also attached thereto a chain or cord 16 carrying on its end a weight 19 which tends to maintain the slide at the limit of its'downward movement.

The wire to be drawn is taken from a supply reel, not shown, and is led over a guiding sheave 20 at the end of the machine, and thence downwardly and around a sheave 21 carried by slide 13. From the sheave 21 the wire is led over a sheave 21 to the first die 3. The wire is given a number of turns around the first drum 2 and is then led around a movable sheave 22 and a stationary guide sheave 23 before being passed through the second die 3 onto the second drum 2. This plan is followed with respect to all the successive dies and drums of the machine, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1. The sheaves 22 are carried on slides 24, which are movable in transverse guides 25 disposed within the tank 1. The slides are yieldingly maintained the limit of their distances from the drums 2 by means of weights 26 hung on chains 27, which are guided by pulleys 28,

28, and connected to said slides. Each chain has two intermediate points thereof connected by a spiral spring 29 so that the per tion of the chain between said points hangs slack, as shown at 30, in Fig. 5.

From the final movable sheave 22 the wire is led around a guiding sheave 31,

final or finishing die 32 located above the level of the solution in the tank 1. Said finishing die is carried in a die box or bar 32', pivoted at 33 to a stationary bracket 34, the free end of said bar being connected by a spring 35 to said bracket.

From the finishing die 32 the wire is led onto a drum or block 36, positioned outside of the tank and carried on a shaft 37 rotated by gearing 38 from the shaft 4. The wire in its finished state is wound u on block 36 preparatory to being spooled. he spooling mechanism, indicated in Fig. 1, may be of any of the well known types, the wire being led thereto by means of a guiding sheave 39 carried by a bracket 40. The stud of said sheave carries a radially adjustble guide for the wire, in the form of a segmental member 41 having an elongated opening in its rim through which the wire passes on its way to the sheave. The bracket 40 has pivoted thereto an arm 42 car ing on its free end a roller 43 which is yieldingly held at all times against the wire by means of a sprin 44.

The pivoted die box or bar 32' carries on its free end a forwardly projecting pin 45, which is normally disposed in the path of movement of a swinging weight 46, pivoted is pivotally .end disposed in the path of movement of said weight, The other end of said arm is connected by a link 50 to one end of a lever 51, pivoted at 52. The other end of said lever 51 is connected by a link 53 with one end of a horizontally disposed latch 54, pivoted at 55, and having formed on its other end a shoulder 56- which normally is disposed in the path of a swinging lever 57, pivoted at 58. The lever 57 is provided with an enlarged portion 59, through which loosely passes a longitudinal shipper bar 60, the latter carrying a collar 61 disposed on the opposite side of the lever 57 from the latch 54. .The other end of said shipper bar 60 is pivotally connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 62, the other arm of which connected to the bar 10 which carries the belt fork 9. y

The operation of the machine is started by moving the shipper bar 60 to the right in Fig. 2, by means of the usual hand lever, not shown, which is provided at a convenient-point for starting and stopping all belt driven machinery, causing the belt to be shifted onto the fast pulley 7, and causing the rocking of the lever .57 into the position shown in Fig. 2, by means of the collar 61. The weight 46 is moved by hand so that its edge is intercepted by the pin 45, the latter being held in the path of said weight by reason of the pull of the wire on the die box 32'. If from any reason, a resistance arises to the unwinding of the wire from its supply reel, the increased tension on the wire 18 not permitted to efi'ect the scoring ofthe drum or the breaking of the wire. Instead, the increased tension is utilized to lift the slide 13, and the upward movement of said slide is resisted b the spring 15 until the latter is distended so as to draw the chain 12 taut. Thereafter, the pull on said chain, which is resisted by the weight 19, efl'ects the rocking of the arm 11 to shift the belt onto the loose pulley; 8, disconnecting the machine from the source of power before the tension is great enough to break the wire. After the shifting of the belt, the continued rotation of the drums, under their own momentum is permitted for a short interval of time, since the slide 13 can move still farther upward in its guides 14 The shifting of the belt by the above described mechanism has no efiect on the position of lever 57, since the shipper bar 60 can move to the left freely through the enlargement 59 of said lever, when drawn in this direction by the above described movement of the bar 10.

When the machine is running, the compensating sheaves 22 are caused to dispose themselves nearer to or farther from the drums 2, as determined by the tension on the wire passing over them. If the tension increases beyond the normal, the particular sheave 22 is drawn inwardly toward its drum, first against the resistance of its spring 29, and finally when the chain 27 becomes taut, against the resistance afforded by its weight 26. It will thus be seen that the spring 29 interposes itself as a buffer against the sudden resistance to the movement of the sheave afforded by the weight 26. The wire is thereby relieved'of shock; and the same condition holds true when the tension in the Wire decreases below the normal. Under such circumstances, scoring of the drums is prevented by the outward movement of the particular sheave 22; and even when the weight 26 reaches its lowest position, the pull on the sheave 22 is not entirely removed since the spring 29 still continues to exert a yielding force. a v

The continuous drawing of the wire exerts a pull on the die box 32 which maintains the latter toward the right in Figs. 1 and 2, With the pin 45 in the path of the weight 46. The cessation of this pull from any cause whatsoever, as for-instance the wearing of the die 32, or the decrease in the diameter of the wire below normal permits the spring '35 to move the pin out of the path of the weight. And obviously, if the wire should break, or run out, the same effect would be produced. The weight 46 therefore falls by gravity, striking the end of arm 48, and moving the same positively to effect, through the connected links and levers 50, 51 and 53, the withdrawal of the latch 54 from engagement with the lever 57. The lever 57 is thereby rendered free to be moved toward the left-by a spring 63, and the engagement of said lever with the collar 61 carries the shipper bar 60 to the left, causing the shifting of the belt onto the loose pulley 8, with a consequent stopping of the machine.

The swinging weight 46 constitutes a powerful and efi'ective agency for insuring the stopping of the machine when the above described conditions are fulfilled. The momentum acquired by said weight is suflicient to overcome any frictional resistance to the releasing of the lever 57, and furthermore, the wire and the die box 32 are entirely free of the action of the stopping mechanism controlled by said weight.

The spooling of the wire is usually accompanied by alternate increases and decreases in the strain on the wire as it is drawn from the drum 36, due to the sudden reversal in the longitudinal direction of spooling, at each end of the spool. The spring 44 holds the roller 43' yieldingly at all times against the wire, serving thereby to prevent jerks or shocks from being imparted to the wire from such source.

The mechanism above described adapts itself peculiarly to a continuous wire drawing titi mamas machine, whether the same be a wet or a dry machine, and renders possible the rotation of the forwarding drums thereof at constant predetermined peripheral speeds, without danger of scratching the wire or scoring the drums.

My invention resides primarily in the combination with a series of forwarding drums, rotatable in the manner above described, of the several cooperating instrumentalities which contribute to the desired effect, and without which, the drums would soon become scored and roughened.

I claim,

1. In a continuous wire drawing machine, the combination with a series oi. drawing dies, and a correspondin series of drawing drums rotatable at pre etermined relatively constant peripheral speeds, of a tension compensating device interposed between each drum and the next succeeding drawing die of the series, and comprising a sheave movable in response to tension on the Wire, resilient means for resisting the initial movement of said sheave, and means brought into action after the initial movement of said sheave, tor resisting its further movement.

2. In a continuous wire drawin machine, the combination with a series oi drawing dies, and a corresponding series of drawing drums rotatable at predetermined relatively constant peripheral speeds, of a tension compensating device interposed. between dies and a series of drawing drums, of a stop mechanism operated in response to strain on the Wire in advance of the drawing operation, said stop mechanism having means for permitting the continued rotation of the drawing drums under their own rno mentum arter disconnection of the same from the source of power.

4:. In a wire drawing machine, the combination with a drawing drum and a drawing die, of a tension compensating device interposed between said drum and die, and comprising a sheave over which the wire passes, and movable in response to tension on the wire, resilient means for resisting the initial movement of said sheave, and means brought into action'after said initial movement, for resisting its further movement.

gated this nineteenth day of August, 19

JAMES P. DOOLEY.

Gino. H. Kramer, Jr. 

